Machine for treating hides, skins, leather, and other similar pieces of work



May 27, 1930. c. szMUKLER v 1,760,796

- MACHINE FOR TREATING HIDESl SKINS, LEATHER,

AND OTHER SIMILAR PIECES OF WORK Filed Deo. 1, 192e Fig?.

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Patented May 27, 1930 UNITED ,STATES PATENT OFFICE CONSTANTINSZAIVIKLER, 0F GRENOBLE, FRANCE MACHINE FOR TREATING- HIDES, SKINS,LEATHER, AND OTHER SIMILAR PIECES OF WORK v Application led December 1,1926, Serial No. 152,043, and in France December 3, 1925;

This invention relates to machines forr treating hides, skins, leatherand other similar pieces of work andis illustrated as embodied in a drumfor washing hides and It is to be understood, however, that theinvention and various important features thereof may have otherapplications and uses.

As heretofore constructed, rotary drums designed especially for washingoperations upon hides and skins had noprovision for anything but thesimplest agitation of the hides or skins in the washing liquids duringthe rotary movements of the drums. Commonly, to produce a washingaction, such drums were provided with pins or with shelves which servedto lift the hides or skins and to drop them into the liquid below.Furthermore, no provision was madein such prior constructions forremoving from the treating drum any of the waste material or otherforeign matter during the washing operation. Hence, at the end of suchoperation, all

of the foreign4 matter washed from the hides or skins was still presentin the wash water, thus frequently necessitating several repetitions ofthe washing operation, with a fresh washing liquid each time, in orderto leave the hides or skins in a clean condition. Hence, for thereasonsindicated, in the use of drums of the type referred to and of othersimilar constructions, the washing of hides and skins was atime-consuming operation.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved drum which willbe especially effective in the operation of washing hides and skins, sothat the desired cleansing will be performed in shorter time, with fewerchanges in the washing liquid and fewer repetitions of the washingoperation. To these ends, and in accordance with important features ofthe invention, there is provided in the illustrated construction arotary drum having partitions therein constructed and arranged toprovide a cell within the drum spaced from the walls thereof anddesigned to secure extremely 'violent agitation of the treating liquidand consequent rapid yet thorough scrubbing and washing of the hides orskins undergoing treatment. Preferably, and as shown, the cell inthedrum is formed in part by vtwo partitions which extend in oppositedirectionsA from the inner surface of the drum in spaced relation toeach other and considerably past the center of rotation of the drum soas to form the long sides of the cell. The construction and arrangementare such that washing liquid is continually slipping from one or theother of these long sides during the rotation of the drum, therebyforming a violently agitated mass of water into which the hides or skinsare projected and in which there are present twisting and rollinfr crosscurrents in the liquid which exert eective washin g action on the hidesor skins and cause friction between the hides or skins themselves andbetween them and the surfaces of the partitions and the walls of thedrum together with such iexing of the hides or skins as will assistmaterially in eliminating all waste material and other foreign matter.As illustrated, openings are provided in the walls of the drum tocommunicate with openings in the cell so that hides or skins may beintroduced from the outside into the cell within the drum, ledges beingprovided adjacent to the openings in the drum to prevent escape of thehides or skins, the opening themselves be' ing never closed. f

In the illustrated construction, additional partitions are provided forwallin oif pockets from the central cell Within the rum, thesepartitions being provided with holes through which waste material andother foreign matter may escape into the pockets during the washingoperation. Preferably, and

as illustrated, these holes are conical in shape,

flaring outwardly toward the pockets withv the smaller ends of the holesopenin into the cell containing the hides or skins un er treatment.Because of this arrangement there is less likelihood of foreign matterbeing returned to the cell where the hides or skins are under treatmentand no possibility of the hides or skins or any parts of them beingdrawninto the holes during the rotation of the drum. As illustrated, theockets are each provided with a discharge-s ot opening on the exteriorof the drum so that foreign matter collected in the pockets, togetherwith washing liquid containing foreign matter,

will be discharged from the drum during rotation of the latter.

These and other features of the invention and novel combinations ofparts 'will now be described in detail and then pointed out moreparticularly in the appended claims.

matically the effect of the rotation of the drum upon a mass of hides orskins and Washing liquid. v

a is a circular Wooden casing formed by staves, similarly to the usualcasks for liquids. The two sides, or ends, are closed by suitably shapedpanels b b.

Two partitions c c are fixed in the interior and extend about two thirdsof the diameter of the drum. i

These partitions form-a sort of inner ,rectangular cell provided withdiagonally opposed openings (d d) which are always open.

At two other diametrically oppose-d points, the drum comprisesrectilinear walls e e', having holes e2 sufficient in number to allowthe suitable evacuation of liquid and dirt from the apparatus.

These holes e2 are conical with the smaller end of each hole opening onthe inner sur. face of the wall e or e', in order that the solid matter,which escapes with the water contained in the drum, cannot re-enter theinterior of the apparatus and on the other hand, the hides, howeversmall, cannot escape, while at the same time allowing completeevacuation'of the dirt.

Finally, rectangular slots g g extending along the staves from panel topanel, opening out to the exterior of the drum, and communicating withspaces or pockets formed at h h', allow of the evacuation of thecontents of the spaces or pockets k 7L.

Two trunnions f f allow the wholedrum to rotate around the axis a: w',Fig. 2, the trunnions being hollow to provide for the introduction ofthe treating liquid.

Operation-The required quantityof liquid is poured into the drum, andthe hides to be treated are placed therein through the opening j whenthe drum is in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4. A suitable speed isimparted to the drum and the following movements vresult therefrom:

Let us imagine that the apparatus' rotates in the'direction of the arrowF, and that the hides are situated initially at i, Fig. 3.

A s the drum subsequently -occupies the position of Fig. 4, the hidesare thrown into the space formed bythe walls'c' The drum 'sition.

next occupies lthe position of Fig. 5, where the hides rest on thepartition-c and then the -drum without interruption in its rotarymovement reaches the position of Fig 6, Where the hides slip from thepartition c and are hurled into a mass of violently agitated liquid aswill be now described.

As the hides assume these different positions, the mass of water becomesviolently agitated, owing to its inertia combined with the effect of theaction of gravity which urges the water to regain a horizontal po-During the rotation of the drum, the water passes from partition e to0', thence to partition e and then 0 and finally back to e. During asingle rotation of the drum, the water undergoes re, peatedly a movementof angular displacement ending in the formation of a turbulent mass oflwater with twisting, rolling cross currents each time the water isdischarged from a long partition, c or 0', to a short partition, e ore', as in Fig. 6. Some of the hides will follow the same course as thewater, as indicated in Fig. 6; others of the hides, because offrictional contact with the partitions will lag behind, so that thehides are cleaned by the agitated water and also by friction betweenthemselves and with the surfaces of the partitions. A ledge fu. Fi 6,throws back the hides, prevents them rom leaving the drum, and serves asa defiector to increase the agitation of the drum contents.

During rotation of the drum, the 4hides are lifted to a considerableheight before falling due to the centrifugal force developed duringrotation and helped by the friction between the hides and the walls ofthe drum.

When the water and the hides reach the p0- sition of Fig. 6, the weightofthe mass, of water and hides prevails over the .centrifugal effect dueto the rotation and said mass falls abruptly; the hides, laggingslightly behind K the water.

After the first half turn, the operation is renewed with the other sideof the drum, and so on. In each complete rotation of the drum,

therefore, the hides are twice lifted andy dropped and twice beatenagainst the cushion' of water, each half turn producing a friction ofthe hides against the walls and against themselves in an energetic way,4the hides tending to accumulate in a ball, during the rise, and to rollon the surfaces along which they slide during the fall from the longsides of the inner cell. i

It will be seen that by these different movements, all the matt to beeliminated is detached and the continuation of the operation forces outall forei matter.

On the other han the continuous fall of water on the hides, andtheagitation, aswell as the fall of the hides themselves on the watercushion at cach half turn, produces a thorough washing and a scouring ofall the arts.

The exit of the hides is easily effected through the openings j',provided for this purpose as Well as for the entrance of hides into thedrum, when the `drum is turned so that one opening y" faces the ground.I

Having described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

I claim:

1. A hide treating machine comprising a rotary drum having end panelsfor closing it at both ends, and partitions arranged to form a hidetreating cell spaced from the walls inside said drum, whereby spaces areprovided between the partitions and the sides of the drum, and thepartitions having unobstructed openings into said spaces constructed andarranged to permit hides to pass therethrough during rotation of thedrum.

2. A hide treating machine comprising a rotary circular drum closed atboth ends, and having partitions inside said drum arranged along chordsof arcs of the circular section of said drum to form a cell within thedrum for the treatment of hides, spaces being formed between thepartitions and the sides of the drum, the cell having unobstructedopenings into certain of the spaces formed in part by the partitions,the openings being constructed and arranged to permit the hides to passtherethrough during `rotation of the drum.

3. A hide treating machine comprising a rotary4 circular drum having endpanels for closing itat both ends. and having partitions inside saiddrum arranged along chords of arcs of the circular section of said drumwhereby spaces are provided between the partitions and the sides of thedrum, said partitions eacli touching the inside periphery of the drumalong one line only and being arranged to form a central substantiallyrectangular cell having unobstructed openings into said spaces intowhich the hides maybe projected during rotation of the drum.

4. A hide treating machine comprisinga rotary circular drum closed atboth ends, and having partitions inside said drum, parallel to the -aXisthereof, said partitions each touching the inside periphery of the oneline only, and ledges projecting inside said drum at points between saidlines, the

periphery of said/drum having openings between said ledges and saidlines.

5. A hide treating machine comprising al rotary drum closed at bothends, and having partitions inside said drum, parallel to the axisthereof and to each other, and perforated walls perpendicular to saidpartitions and forming segmental spaces within said drum, the segmentalspaces having outlets to the exterior through the wall of said drum.

drum along' 6. A hide treating machine comprising a drum havingendpanels for closing itat both ends and having openings in its surfaceother than the end panels ,for the introduction of hides to be treated,said drum having partitions inside forming an inner central cell, saidpartitions having openings adjacent to the openings in the surface ofsaid` drum, so that hides may be introduced through an opening in thedrum and an opening in one of the partitions into the central cell, andstationary ledges for preventing escape of hides from the openings inthe drum.

7 A hide treating machine comprising a drum closed at bot-h ends andhaving partitions inside forming on the one hand an inner central cell,and on the other hand spaces between the partitions and the innersurface of said drum, said partitions having holes between said cell andthe respective spaces. and the wall of the drum having an openingbetween each of the spaces and the exterior surface of the drum.

8. A hide washing machine comprising a drum closed at both ends andhaving parti.

tions inside arranged to provide walled-olf pockets or spaces, thepartitions having holes Haring outwardly to prevent return of materia-lfrom the pockets to the body of the drum, and the walls of the drumhaving openings leading to said pockets.

9. A hide treating machine comprising a rotary cylindrical drum closedat both ends.

having partitions inside forming on the one hand an inner central cell,and on the other hand, segmental spaces between the partitions and theinnerv surface of said drum, certain of said partitions having holesopening into said spaces, the walls of the drum other than the endpanels having openings into said spaces, other partitions havingopenings placing the inner cell in communication with other segmentalspaces for the introduction of hides into the central cell, and thearched wall of the last-mentioned segmental spaces also having openingsfor the introduction of hides.

10. A hide treating machine comprising' a drum having end panels forclosing it at both ends and having partitions inside forming on the onehand an inner central cell, and on the other hand, spaces between thepartitions and the inner surface of said drum, certain of saidpartitions having openings placing the inner cell in communication withcertain of the spaces, thel walls of the drum other than tral cell, andon the other hand, segmental spaces between the partitions and the innersurface of said drum, certain of said partitions having holes connectingthe cell with certainy of the segmental spaces-other partitions havingopenings placing the inner cell b in communication with others of thesegmental spaces, the cylindrical wall of the drum having openings intosaid last-named segmental spaces, and inwardly projecting ledgesbordering said openings, the segmen- 10 tal spaces formed by the iirs-named parti- 4tions having outlets to the exterior surface of the drum.

12. A hide treating machine comprising a rotary drum having end panelsfor closing it at both ends, and having partitions therein to form acell within the drum, two of the partitions being arranged to extend inopposite directions from the inner surface of the drum in spacedrelation to each other and considerably past the center of rotation ofthe drum so as to form the long sides of the cell, said two partitionsbeing each secured to the inner surface of the drum along one line onlyso as to leave unobstructed openings from the cell into spaces withinthe drum and outside of the cell.

13. A hide treating machine comprising a rotary drum having end panelsfor closing it at both ends, and partitions arranged to form 3i', a hidetreating cell within the drum, said cell being a rectangular oblong inshape, the long sides of the cell having openings into paces between thecell and the sides of the rum.

'CONSTANTIN SZMUKLER.

